The Role of Agile Methodologies in Modern Project Management
The evolution of project management seems to have mirrored the evolution in general management, starting with a focus on ‘scientific’ (or hard) processes in the early years, moving to a soft skills focus in the 21st century. This trend is clearly demonstrated by analysis of papers published in the International Journal of Project Management which shows a drop from 49% to 12% for task focused papers (scheduling, etc), offset by increases in papers on ‘soft’ subjects such as leadership and stakeholder management. Similarly, many of the new ‘tools’ entering the market in the 21st century are directed towards collaboration, communication and stakeholder management including the innovative Stakeholder Circle system.